This invention relates to protein preservation, and more particularly to the conversion of protein from raw meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables into a dehydrated snack food.
Traditional methods of converting raw beef and other animal meat into a dried edible product that is stable against spoilage for long periods of time, generally involve seasoning the raw meat and then dehydrating it to a very low moisture content. One of these methods comprises vat curing the meat in a tank of brine to which spices and other seasonings have been added. One of the problems with this vat cure method is that the spices sink to the bottom of the tank, thereby establishing a stratified solution and uneven flavoring of the meat. Furthermore, the very high cost of sufficient aromatic spices required to produce adequate flavor by this method makes it uneconomical. Yet another disadvantage of this method is that the brine leaches the blood, which is a desired natural flavoring, out of the meat, thereby resulting in a less flavorful product and one that is of poor color.
Another well known curing method is to apply salt, pepper, etc. to the meat by hand, and then age it for a period of time. This method is not as costly as the aforementioned vat cure, but the salt and other seasonings penetrate the meat poorly and unevenly, resulting in a non-uniform cure. In order to increase the penetration of those ingredients, the meat is sometimes ground up before application of the flavorings. However, the product resulting from this process has an undesirable odor, appearance, and flavor.